Not very much posting or replies, losing hope

Hey Arthritis suffers, i hope all is doing some what manageable? I have posted a few times trying to get support. I have a dr.s appt tommorrow am. and good advice would help! I started therapy yesterday to deal with depression ect. I am trying to be positive in getting the right dr. and or treatment! Take care!
Love, Monkey

Hello. I know the feeling. I have had arthritis for about 2.5 years now. Been on Prednisone and Methotrexate for about 7 months now. Not too many people want to listen to what i have to say about this. My Rhumy dr. i thought was the greatest person in the world, giving me meds. to help relieve the pain, some of it anyway... I am still in pain everyday, which i shouldn't be really. My dad finally talked me into going to a holistic dr. that also practices being a md as well. He thought that maybe he could help me further. I was skeptical at first. I went and thank god i did !! He told me that my arthritis is probably caused from food allergies, well i was tested for them and i am allergic to several foods !! ( leaky gut syndrome is what it is called ) very common for arthritis sufferers. Not too many people know about this. It may be the case for you too !! I look at it as light at the end of the dark tunnel for me !! I cut out these foods already ( along with a healthy diet) for two weeks now and already i am feeling a little bit better !!! Worth looking into, instead of being depressed !! Good luck to you

Hey Monkey:
I was dx'd with AS about 13 yrs ago. Had treatment for about 3 yrs with various meds which accomplished nothing and then I went into remission for almost 7 yrs with just a flare in my SI joints every couple months. About 3 yrs ago I went to a Dermatologist for a minor skin rash (so I thought). He said I had mild psoriasis and started asking about my joints which by now were starting to bother me quite a bit. He made what turned out to be the correct dx of Psoriatic Arthritis or PsA (a cousin of AS)and I have been on Enbrel since. It wasn't clear to me as to whether you have seen a Rheumatologist yet because many of the symptoms you describe COULD, and I emphasize could be AS. My major concern in reading your symtoms:

Specific symptoms:

Chronic stooping to relieve symptoms
Eye inflammation
Fatigue
Hip pain and stiffness
Joint pain and joint swelling in the shoulders, knees, and ankles
Limited expansion of the chest
Limited range of motion, especially involving spine and hips
Low-back pain that is worse at night, in the morning, or after inactivity
Loss of appetite
Neck pain
Slight fever
Stiffness and limited motion in the low back
Weight loss
Stomacke issues recently
Some numbness worse with activity

is the eye inflammation. If in fact you do have AS or PsA or one of the other linked Arthritides this could be a VERY SERIOUS complication and can cause bindness. I see that you are seeeing a Doc tomorrow. Please make sure not to forget to mention the eye issues.

The dpression my friend is not a separate issue and is a very common syptom of the above. You are not alone even though it probably feels so. The key right now is to get a dx so you know what you are dealing with which, believe me, does make it easier. If it is AS or something similar there are many meds out there to help you live a pretty normal life.

Albie,
I have an appt. scheduled for January 15th soonest i could get into the Rheumatologist. Yes i am gonna have my dr. test my b27 tommorrow and see what it might spit out. It's really weird how i had an eye infection shortly before i got really really bad, it looked like someone hit me and ever since i started haveing all these symptoms and itchy eyes sensitive more to light ect. so it seems to be all piecing together just no dx. I even told hubby tonight and he agreed it made sense and i will let you know my dr. says tommorrow! I am kinda excited because i think i am figureing things out on my own and the sooner i get the help i need hte better i can maybe get! My dr. also told me in the past that i may have .mild psoriasis My elbows are always itchy dry and my legs. And it's crazy how i've have always suffered from some kind of joint pain or stiffness, mainly knee , hand, shoulder. I even had shoulder surgery for bursitis and bone spurs, so when i think back since i hit thirty or shortly before all this is fitting but i know i have to wait for a dx and i just hope i haven't been too bad for too long without treatmnet because for over two years now i have pushed myself(wich in turn might have been a good thing) because everyone else is just been shoving it off as chronic back pain except my dr. who has also been confused and worrried and maybe i can change that tommorrow! And it sure would tottaly explain why all this starting in my lower si joint area and hip and progressed with no known cause. I know the depression is indeed part of it because i feel like a failure because i have always been the backbone and my backbone is cracking!
Take care, Love, Monkey

Monkey,
Being HLA-B27 positive does not definitely mean you have AS or PsA or anything else. It's just that people who are positive are much more likely to get one of these especially if there is a family history. On another board that I frequent there are numerous people who are B27 Negative and they have a spondylarthropathy.

Your last post was much more positive - You Go Girl!!

You are on the right track. Keep at it until you get a dx. Many people go for yrs w/o a dx and all of those symptoms, plus for me one of, the most telling is what you recently said about bone spurs (very characteristic). I had two huge ones removed from my shoulder 3 or 4 yrs ago and now have them in my feet. It is never too late. With the Biologics that are out there now they can stop the progression and give you your life back. Plus, there are new meds in the pipeline which may even be better.